REGIONAL PREMIERE!

by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare
based on Homer’s The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles

“Every time I sing this song, I hope it’s the last time.”

With his battered suitcase by his side, the poet tells his story: of gods and goddesses, kings and heroes, consuming envy, epic battles, an endless war. An ancient tale comes roaring back to life in a striking new telling filled with wit and eternal wisdom. Steve Hendrickson (Crime and Punishment, Blackbird, Mercy of a Storm), as an old man who’s seen too much, leads us on the sweeping journey.

“Spellbinding…an age-old story that resonates with tragic meaning today.”
      -The New York Times

Performances are August 15-25.
Wednesday-Saturday at 8 pm. Thursday and Sunday at 2 pm. 

[sc:Yellow-Link url=”https://chestertheatre.org/plan-your-visit/buy-tickets/” name=”BUY TICKETS HERE” ]
[sc:Small-Text-Start ] An Iliad is sponsored by Dorothy Benzian.
Production design is sponsored by Fred and Jessica Olefson.
[sc:Small-Text-End ]

Ilana, a world-renowned origami artist, is going through a divorce, her dog has run away, and she hasn’t answered her phone in two months. Then her intercom buzzes. It’s Andy, a fan, a high school teacher who counts his blessings. Literally — he’s up to 7,904. Andy introduces Suresh, an urban teen ipod addict and origami prodigy into Ilana’s life, and the plot folds really get complicated. A wise and richly layered comedy/drama from the author of Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo.

Performances July 5-15.

Animals Out of Paper is sponsored by Wendy and Gary Davis.

Dora Hand lives by herself on the Nebraska prairie — she’s gone through three husbands and seems destined to play the lonely mistress to her married milkman, Kevin — until a swan crashes into her living room window. Strangely, to all outward appearances, the swan is a charismatic and child-like man who quickly learns the ropes: speech, dressing, checkers, beer, love for his new mistress. A mysterious and comic riff on the classic Leda myth.

Performances July 18-29.

The Swan is sponsored by Dorothy Benzian.

It’s the eve of the New York City Marathon, and Stephen, preparing for his first race, needs a good night’s sleep. His wife is in London on business and he has the apartment to himself. Until Emily, his wife’s ex-roommate, shows up unexpectedly and in crisis in the wee hours of the morning. Late night conversations become late night confessions and connections. A witty, insightful journey from the author of The Nibroc Trilogy.

Performances August 1-12.

Running is sponsored by Cipora Brown and Steve Feiner.

As Simon’s flight crosses the Atlantic to the Old Country, he imagines the beautiful woman waiting for him. Betrothed since birth, he’s waited thirty long years to meet his beloved. Upon arrival, his fantasy is derailed by old crones, morally ambiguous clergymen, deceitful babies, and barnyard animals. Simon must navigate a world where murder, ghostly possession, and rampant cuckoldry wreak havoc with his sense of reality. An existential comedy with a fairy tale heart.

Performances August 15-26.

The Betrothed is sponsored by Shelley and Richard Holzman.